Utah Odyssey of the Mind 2016 Pins, Shirt, and Crazy Hats

 A week and a half ago was the Utah Odyssey of the Mind competition, and as tradition we got a whole new set of pins and shirts for our theme, keeping with the blue monsters and going western.  Every year each participating State and Country create new pins and shirts to trade.  Trading at the World's competition is a huge deal, and after closing ceremonies is when the shirt trading starts.  I've gotten some cool shirts these last two years.

 I love Western Omer!

 Creativity Outlaws: Our theme.  BTW, Idaho was on all our pins, but an Idaho team didn't end up competing at our competition (they wouldn't compete against Utah teams, only against other Idaho teams) .  There isn't an OotM program in Idaho, so we let them come to our competition.  There were originally three ID teams, but they all dropped out, but by the time the last team dropped out our pins had all ready been ordered.

 The three blue monsters showing all 5 problems: 

Problem 1, Vehicle: No-Cycle Recycle

Problem 2, technical: Something Fishy

Problem 3, classics: Aesop Gone Viral

Problem 4, structure: Stack Attack!

Problem 5, performance: Furs, Fins, Feathers & Friends

 An Omer pin that's sold on the main website, not tied to a State.

 This years bobble pin.

 The Utah shirt.  Purple is for Officials.  The judges shirt was brown.  The participants/spectactors shirt was like a black, dark navy blue.  The officials/judges shirts were SO much better this year!!  Last year our shirt was based on the box problem set pin.  I really like this years shirt.

 My crazy hat!  So I didn't make one this year.  I wore my Steampunk western style Minnie Mouse ears that I got at Disneyland two years ago. I love this hat!  And it fits both our State theme and Problem 5 theme, which I'm problem captain over.

 My Dad was my announcer/timekeeper this year, and he had a lot of fun creating this Olaf crazy hat.  All the kids loved it.  And my Dad had a lot of fun.  He said he would help again; I'm totally holding him to it!!!  We were super short on volunteers.  I was P.5 problem captain/head judge, P.3 long-term judge, and was supposed to also be the P.5 timekeeper/announcer, but there was no way I could get scores out and later meet with couches with their scores, at the same time keeping our problem site on schedule, if I was timekeeper/announcer, so my Dad stepped in last minute to help me out.  Which was a huge, huge help.

My brother is Problem 2 problem captain, and he created a Raspberry Pi (mini computer), which he uploaded Super Mario Brothers, completely playable, and attached it to his hat.  It was really cool.

So there you have it!  Another year down.

I'm not going to Worlds this year, due to going to France and finances, so I'm sad about that.  I even had a dream about pin trading, and woke up realizing I don't get to pin trade this year!!  Kinda silly.  I hope everyone has fun at Worlds :0)

Day 4 & 5: Odyssey of the Mind World Comp. 2015

It's crazy to think that just last week I got back from the Odyssey of the Mind World comp. 2015 in Lansing Michigan.  Where does the time go??

Those five days were such a blast.

I judged Long Term for Div. II (middle-school),  problem 5 (performance) "Silent Movie."  Along with needing to include a silent movie in the 8 minute skit, subtitles included, the teams had to have a director character, a villain who commits three acts of villainy, a movie critic, a movie trailer for a coming attraction (which can have sound), and a team created instrument.

As a musician I really enjoyed seeing all the instruments the 65 teams created.  There were many drums, shakers, and PVC like instruments, but different fun takes on each.  One team took the PVC xylophone idea and added tubes and water, so that when you blew into the tube a different pitch would sound.  Another team took the xylophone keys and connected them to a vertical wooden board with a ramp; they dropped a ball down the ramp and timed it perfectly so the xylophone keys played "three-blind-mice."  Really fun.

Then there was another team who took the team created instrument to a whole new level.  They used a body current to cue different, originally created synthesized music loops.  The skit had an animal theme (the lion and giraffe were gorgeous), and the musical instrument was made to look like a food stand.  Behind the stand the DJ wore special shoes that grounded the current, and then when he touched metal (Hershey Kisses, some pennies, aluminum foil under a water bottle) the current was completed, and that cued the different sound/music loops, which was cued up on a computer.  After each performance the judges get to talk to the kids and ask questions about the items we're scoring, and when we looked at this particular instrument we got to create a body current link while holding hands.  I was the final link in the chain and got to touch the Penny on the table causing the music to turn on, touch it again and it turned off.  I did the same with the Hershey's Kiss, touching it to turn the music loop on and off.  Super cool.

At the end of Day 4, technically the third and last judging day, there's a closing ceremony where awards are given.  My friend works with the Spontaneous team, Spont, aka short term, is another element in the competition worth up to 100 points and deals with problem solving improvisation. Long Term is worth up to 200 points.  I had dinner with some of the spont people, and then we walked from the Marriott to closing ceremonies.

Those whole three days I couldn't understand why the spont people never took the bus to campus, choosing to walk instead.  Boy, was I missing out!!!  The walk was so beautiful, going through a park and seeing older architectural buildings.  And the light was absolutely gorgeous, deep golds casting long shadows.

Day 5: I had to get up early to catch the early bus to the Detroit airport.  2 hour drive.  And my friend Lauren and I got to the airport with a full three hours to spare.  (taking the later bus would have gotten us there 30 minutes before boarding.)

We had lunch at a Texas Stake restaurant, and the burgers were so juicy!!   It was nice being able to relax and not stress. 

Somehow my seat got messed up and I sat by this guy who was super stressed out.  When we got our beverages he asked for a Sprite, and then quickly got a small bottle of liquor out of his bag to pour it into his glass, causing him to sleep the rest of the way.

I'm sad 2015 Odyssey is over, except for a wrap-up planning meeting this weekend.  Next years Performance problem is going to be really cute.

Problem 5: Fins, Furs, Feathers & Friends

Divisions I, II, III & IV The team's problem is to create and present a humorous performance depicting problem solving from the perspective of three different animals. The animals will help a stranger, help each other, and solve a problem that threatens the survival of all animals. During the performance, the animals will sing and dance. They will also show curiosity, sympathy, frustration, and joy.
Cost limit: $125 USD.

Until next year!!!

Day 1: Odyssey of the Mind Worlds 2015

I can't believe it's that time of year again.  Where has the time gone?  It seems like only yesterday I was in Iowa helping out with the 2014 World Odyssey of the Mind finals.  And here we are in 2015, Michigan, a whole 3 days of crazy creative compitions, celebrating the love of thinking outside the box.

I love this program and what it encourages children to do: think, create, learn, teamwork, ingenuity, perseverance, etc.

And for the next three days children young and old will be creating and performing a years worth of hard work.

The opening ceremonies just took place.  It's so much fun seeing all the crazy hats, seeing where all the kids are from, and seeing their excitement.

So here's to the next three days!

I'll try not to have too much fun :0)

Utah & Idaho Odyssey of the Mind 2015 Pin Sneak Peak

 March 28th is the Utah State Odyssey of the Mind (OotM for short) competition!  It's at Park City High School.  Each of the long term problems (Silent Movie, Technical Difficulties, Lose You Marbles, Runaway Train, and Pandora's box) is solved in a skit which is presented to judges, and these performances are open for the public to come and watch.  It's really fun seeing how all the teams solve the same problem is so many different creative ways.

Odyssey of the Mind is all about creativity and thinking outside the box, which is the theme of this years Utah/Idaho pins: See What Creativity Lurks Beyond the Box.

Idaho is included on our pins because we have a few teams coming down to compete.  Idaho's OotM program is so small each of the Idaho teams automatically qualify for the OotM Worlds Competition in Michigan this year, but it's good practice to perform the skit in front of an audience before Worlds.  There's a Div. II Idaho team performing in Silent Movie this year, and I'm really excited to see them.  I'm excited to see all the teams perform!  It's going to be fun :0)

Without much further ado here's a close up of our pins.

 Omer as a cardboard box monster is my favorite pin this year.  He's adorable!

This pin is 2 inches high and about 1 1/3 inches wide.

 This pin is all the problems, including Primary, represented within each box.

This pin is 1 1/2 inches wide and 1 3/4 inches tall.

Monsters coming out of the box!  And our States slogan at the bottom.

Measuring at 1 7/8 inches wide and 2 inches tall.

Can't wait for the competition next week! :0)

My 2015 Odyssey of the Mind Crazy Hat

It's my Pirate Princess Cowgirl Hat!  Many years ago I bought this red beauty at the Pirates of the Caribbean store in Disneyland Park.  The "Pirate Princess" lettering is unfortunately hard to read, but I still find it pretty funny.

What is Odyssey of the Mind?  It's an incredible program that promotes students to be creative and think outside the box.  And there are 5 creative categories students can participate/compete in: Vehicles, Technical, Classics, Structure, and Theatrics.  There's great information on the OotM (short for Odyssey of the Mind) website that goes into further detail.

This last weekend was judges training for the Utah State OotM competition, which is being held at the end of March.  Our state is still small in the organization, so there are no regional competitions, and this year we've invited Idaho teams to compete with us! (Utah and Idaho teams are not competing against each other).  And there's a chance in the next year or two Wyoming teams will come and compete in Park City Utah as well.

As the problem 5 problem captain I trained the Theatrics judges for "Silent Movie," the name of our long term problem this year.  It's such a fun problem!  You can read the synopsis here.

All judges are encouraged to wear a crazy hat while they judge, it's something fun for the kids to see, and it allows us to be a little silly.  All Omer's are silly!  So I brought my new crazy hat to show the judges.

 I took my pirate princess cowgirl hat and attached some of my favorite 2014 pins from the World competition last year, and I found some pretty fake flowers to add a girly cute touch.

Some of my more favorite pins didn't make the hat because they didn't "look" right.  And I realized in hindsight that 3, Three, Virginia pins made the final cut!  But I'm happy with how it turned out.

 I still need to attach the flowers with embroidery thread, because they kept falling off during training.

 Proof that the base hat is official licensed Disney merchandise :0)

As a note, the only time I've seen this hat at Disneyland was about eight or so years ago, and have never seen it before or sense.  I visit Disneyland about once a year.  Maybe it didn't sell well?  Maybe people didn't get the humor?  They should totally sale this hat again.

My "Pigs Can Fly" crazy hat is lovingly being kept in my closet, but will not be permanently retired.  Kids seem to really like it, and I feel it embodies the OotM spirit, though I may end up creating a whole new hat next year!  I've got some more fun ideas :0)

My Experience at the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals in Ames Iowa

 It's crazy to think that just a week ago I was sitting at a table judging Problem 5, div. II at the Odyssey of the Mind World competition.

Just a week ago!

I've dreamed of World's, barely missing out my senior year in High School when our team placed 3rd at the California State competition.  So, so close.

I never dreamed an opportunity would present itself in the form of being an official.

Goodness, this last week was such a privilege.

 What is Odyssey of the Mind?  It's a creative solution program for those kindergarten through college.  There's a long term problem (Problem 1: Vehicles, Problem 2: Technical, Problem 3: Classics, Problem 4: Structure, and Problem 5: Performance.)  And there's a short spontaneous problem that the teams get on the day of competition.

There's something for everyone.

It's best just to watch:

 This is a montage of all the problems at World Finals this year.

Waiting for opening ceremonies while watching all the teams head inside.

Utah!

 

 My home for three days :0)

 I helped judge Problem 5 Division II (middle school), which was called "Seeing is Believing."  Problem 5 is the performance category.  From the website:

"In this problem teams are to create and present an original performance about a community that feels threatened by something in a location it has never visited. The community townspeople will use a creative method to select one or more Travelers to visit and explore the location. While at the location, a Traveler will use a means of communication to send a message home to convince the community that there is nothing to fear. The performance will also include a narrator character, two rhymes about the travels, and a moving set piece."

 The winning team who came all the way from Poland.

It was so much seeing all the creative ways each team solved this problem.  One team had a group of retired rockers (Gene Simmons, Cher, Elvis, etc) who feared the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic phenomenon.  Another team were deer who feared the moon because many of their friends were killed by headlights (their giant pop-up book style back drop made out of cardboard was really cool).  Another team feared a land of homophones because that land was stealing their identities.  Really funny.  Treble clefs fearing the bass clef, only to meet up at middle C.  Black and White worlds fearing color.  Just a lot of fun :0) 

 The AMAZING judging team I got to be apart of.  Everyone was truly amazing.  It felt like an amazing family I was privileged to be apart of.  They are the icing, the cherry on top, and what made this week so wonderful.  I just realized our gallant leader, aka Head Judge, isn't in this picture!  What's up with that?

Off to find another picture . . . okay, here you go.

They've already announced the 2014-2015 problem synopsis for next year.  Problem 5 is going to be So Much Fun :0)

"Problem 5: Silent Movie
Divisions I, II, III & IV
Lights, camera...action! In this problem teams will create and present a performance depicting a Director character that produces and presents a silent movie featuring a humorous villain character that commits three silly acts of “villainy”. Characters that are in the movie may not speak as part of the presentation of the movie. Instead, like classic silent films, the team will use music played on a team-created instrument and creatively displayed subtitles to convey its story to the audience and judges. Also, teams will use a signal to indicate when the movie begins and ends."

Doesn't that sound awesome?!

A lot of the other problems sound fun too.  Classics, Problem 3, is Pandora's box meet video games. You can read the other problems here.

 Pin trading!!!!!!  It's a sport all unto itself at Worlds!!!  I didn't come prepared with enough pins.  I'm buying more Utah pins next year to bring to Worlds :0)

 I have a story for every pin, which I'll later jot down for my journal :0)

 My view from the hotel.  I spent a couple late afternoons relaxing, just watching the outside.  I love a good view.

My friend and I heading into the closing ceremonies, surreal that everything was coming to an end. 

 A team from Utah won an Omer award!  The Omer award is like the "grace under fire" award.  It's for those who truly embody the spirit of Odyssey of the Mind, finding creative solutions to problems, the unexpected, or other opportunities.  Turning lemons into lemonade in a fantastic way.  From the odyssey website:

"Weilenmann School of Discovery, Park City UT Problem 2, Division I

In the early portion of their long-term presentation, this first-year Division I team had their entire backdrop slowly collapse on top of the characters. As this occurred, instead of panicking, one team member exclaimed “Hurricane!” and collapsed to the floor with the set. Other team members quickly began acting similarly with comments of the “destroyed house.” Unable to get the backdrop fully reassembled, they smiled and said “Here it comes again!!” This team embodied the true spirit of Odyssey by taking the problem in-stride. By remaining upbeat with a positive outlook, they turned what should have been a tragedy into one of the funniest skits of the day."

 I knew pin trading was a big deal, but I didn't know trading shirts was something a lot of people did, too!  It typically happens after closing ceremonies.  I heard the Official shirt was one of the shirts kids really want.  I didn't need another shirt for myself (I got a beautiful North Carolina shirt earlier that week), so I decided to trade two of my three official shirts for kid sizes, to give away at the Utah State Competition.

I decided to meander out of the giant inclosed stadium, finding myself behind a team from Mexico. I noticed one girl with a bunch of shirts, so I asked her if she wanted to trade.  She already had an official shirt, but her coach quickly realized what was going on, and spoke in Spanish to another girl.  She perked up and went for her bag, asking in broken English if I wanted a green shirt or a white shirt.  I asked to look at them and decided on the green.  Really great design.  The trade was made, and she was giddy as the group left.

Quickly a girl from Poland came over, asking if I was trading the other official shirt, and I said I was, and would make a trade if she had a shirt.  In a flash the trade was made, and she ran off, even more excited then the girl from Mexico, if that was possible :0)

I looked down then and noticed the Polish shirt was a sweaty large, not a good size for a kid.  And on the back of the shirt said "Damb," the name of the school I believe, which probably wouldn't go over well with some parent in Utah.

At the closing party my friends Mom, a coach from Arizona, spent the night trading shirts.  She's crazy good at it!!!  Amongst the growing pile of OotM shirts I spotted a small Oklahoma shirt, their 35 anniversary tee with a candy crusher theme.  Perfect!  And the trade was made.

 Speaking about the closing, recovering party: It was amazing!  I was picturing the party taking place in a room.  This was not what I was expecting.  Totally overwhelming and awesome.

 The crowning experience of the week was spent on top of a Ferris wheel.  Can't complain.

When we got back from the party there was a pile of Thank You cards from the kids, thanking us for volunteering.  Honestly, everything I do with Odyssey of the Mind is volunteer, but through experience, watching the kids be creative, I feel I've gotten so much in return.  So much more then I given.

This is an amazing program.